Straight pool and a brain f@rt!

[Stones]

I played serious straight pool last night for the first time in about 25 years. I've been reading on the forum about 14.1 (Blackjack, smj and others) for quite a while now and have had the itch to play. Problem was no one around these parts really wants to learn to play the game.

Lo and behold, a old friend of mine who had moved to the east coast about 10 years ago, moved back to town recently. While on the coast, he became a straight pool enthusiast. A pretty accomplished player, he told me he has multiple 100 ball runs, a few 200, and as he put it, one fluke 300+ run. After seeing him play, I believe him!

Not having played straights for a long time, I knew it would take me a while it get back into it. Problems such as leaving a decent break shot, which ball to hit on the break shot, what english to use for maximum ball seperation, etc.). I knew it would be an uphill battle.

He had some nice 50-60 ball runs and I think he intentionally missed a few times to let me at the table.

Here's my brain f@rt problem. My high run was 38 and should have been much higher. Kinda funny, but earlier before starting to play straights, I put a six pack together playing 9 ball. What is that, 54 balls run minus the balls made on the break? Don't be too impressed, this was done on a 9' Gandy with 5" bucket pockets that breaks easy.

I have played 9 ball for so long, when I was on my break shot in straights, my mind lost focus when I was staring at the break ball and seeing the rack of 14 balls next to it. It's like my brain got confused seeing that many balls on the table. I just couldn't focus on the contact point on the break ball with this mass of balls sitting next to it.

During the match, I missed 3-4 break shots because of this. I guess it's going to take a lot of practice for me to become comfortable with it again.

Any suggestions from you straight pool gurus would help.

Stones

 

[Blackjack]

Stones

I always try to set up a natural angle on my break shots. By this, I mean that the tangent line should go from the contact point on the object ball to where I want to hit the rack. This way, all I have to do is make the ball and keep my cue ball out of trouble. Here is a quick - on the spot - example of what I am talking about...

CueTable Help

Notice that all I have to do is make the 10 ball and I will contact the stack. I will get different results if I use follow, draw or stun, but pretty much all I have to do is get where I have this natural angle. Also refer to my posts in the Straight Pool section that deal with "neat in- neat out". That means contacting one ball in the stack on the break shot and getting whitey out of there.

Also, make sure to pay attention to your end patterns. Here is a situation where you have many key ball options to get on the 10 ball. It comes down to what you are comfortable with, any of these balls would work well to get you on the 10, but the you have to use the proper pattern to get there. I chose to shoot the 1, 11, 7 - others may choose to go about it differently, but all of the balls represent great opportunities to get where you need to for the break shot.

CueTable Help

 

[Blackjack]

Here is some more information on the break shot. You've probably seen this before, but I'll repost it so you don't have to go looking for it...

Good luck!

 

[CreeDo]

is the 300 ball runner anyone we've heard of maybe? Just curious, cuz it's amazing to me there are unknowns out there who can run in the 2xx to 3xx range. Or maybe they're just unknown to me.

oh, just to make something useful out of this: don't look at the stack at all on the break shot. Commit to pretty much high or low (and whatever sidespin is appropriate) on your english, then shoot the shot as if it were a regular cut in 9 ball that you just happen to be shooting harder than usual. Don't think of it as a break shot, think of it as a regular shot where maybe you're trying to sink the ball and come around 3 rails for shape or something...try hard to visualize the stack not being there. Works for me anyway.